The Mullum Mullum Festival, now in its 18th year, is an annual event, held in either Autumn or Spring, celebrating the biodiversity and the ecological and cultural values of the Mullum Mullum Creek Valley. The Festival features a range of guided walks, talks and activities, held over two successive weekends. The 2018 Festival was hosted in the lead up to National Reconciliation Week, providing opportunities to learn more about Indigenous culture and history, as well as the local environment and its flora and fauna.

Thoughtful conversations, insights, inspiration and ideas … talks on climate change and social change, and an indigenous themed opening night – it’s all been part of the mix at this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival. Hot on the heels of Melbourne’s recent International Film Festival, and soon to be followed by the Melbourne Fringe Festival, this city has certainly earned its reputation as a key cultural centre for creativity and the arts. The program for this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival featured a wealth of home-grown Australian talent plus a line up of international guests from various cultural backgrounds. It was an event…

Learning From the Past, Planning for the Future … ‘Caring for country’ is at the heart of indigenous cultures across the world. Since ancient times, their careful observation, understanding and respect for the land, and their intimate knowledge of the seasons and cycles of nature has generally resulted in communities that have lived in harmony with their environment and with the earth’s natural life support systems. There remains much that we can learn from such traditional practices and knowledge bases. Especially at a time when the world is seeking more sustainable ways of operating in the bid to address the significant environmental and…

NAIDOC Week is an annual event that focuses attention on the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the valuable contributions that indigenous people make to this country. It provides a chance for all of us to recognise, acknowledge and celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Australia’s First People. It also provides an opportunity to reflect upon our shared history. Today’s descendants of the original inhabitants of this country are part of the oldest continuously living culture on earth. This connection stretches back 60,000+ years, to the ancestors of the past and it also provides a…

When it comes to sharing knowledge about indigenous culture and aboriginal land management practices, author, Bruce Pascoe, is a bit of a guru … despite his rather humble and unassuming manner. Bruce was on the road for a series of speaking engagements in Melbourne and rural Victoria this month, and I caught up with him at the indigenous EEL Festival at Lake Bolac, and also in Daylesford. The Hepburn Relocalisation Network hosted a special day of events on April 7, entitled ‘Land Cultures and Permaculture Futures’, featuring Bruce Pascoe and David Holmgren, co-originator of ‘Permaculture’ (a method for ethically producing food and living…